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From 1 July 2018, the following applications must be lodged online through
ImmiAccount. Paper application forms will not be accepted for the following:

All Work and Holiday (subclass 462) visa applications from people holding passports from Argentina, Slovakia, Spain, the United States, and Uruguay

All second Work and Holiday (subclass 462) visa applications

From 1 July 2018 all First Work and Holiday visa (subclass 462) applications for Israeli passport holders must be lodged at the Australian Embassy in Berlin. Applications will no longer be accepted at the Australian Embassy in Tel Aviv.

About this visa

The Work and Holiday (Temporary) visa (subclass 462) is for young people who want to holiday and work in Australia for up to a year.

It is a temporary visa that encourages cultural exchange and closer ties between Australia and eligible partner countries.

If you have completed specified subclass 462 work in
northern Australia in tourism and hospitality or agriculture, forestry and fishing you can apply for a second Work and Holiday visa (see information on ‘specified subclass 462 work’ under the ‘Visa applicants’ tab).

What this visa lets you do

leave and re-enter Australia any number of times while the visa is valid

apply for a second Work and Holiday visa if you have worked for three months in northern Australia in tourism and hospitality or agriculture, forestry and fishing.

Before you apply

First Work and Holiday visa - you must be outside Australia when you apply for this visa.

Second Work and Holiday visa - If you apply in Australia, you must be in Australia when this visa is granted. If you apply outside Australia, you must be outside Australia when this visa is granted.

Visa limits

There is an annual limit on the number of first Work and Holiday visas granted to each country. No applications will be approved once this limit is reached and you should wait until the following year to lodge an application. The visa programme year starts on 1 July each year.

For the People’s Republic of China, Indonesia, Israel, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Turkey and Vietnam, the
immigration office outside Australia that processes applications from nationals of those countries can tell you how many visas are available.

There is no limit on the number of second Work and Holiday visas that can be granted each year.

Your passport

You need a valid passport issued by an eligible country for this visa. If you plan to get a new passport, you should do so before applying for your visa. Your visa is linked to the passport number you use in your application. If you get a new passport after you have lodged your application, give the details of your new passport to one of
our offices.

First Work and Holiday visa applicants - Additional requirements

In addition to the above requirements you must provide evidence that you:

meet the educational requirements

have functional English

have a letter of support from your government (except applicants from Argentina, Israel, the People’s Republic of China, Singapore and the United States of America)

Second Work and Holiday visa applicants - Additional requirements

In addition to the above requirements you must:

have complied with all the conditions on your first Work and Holiday visa

have not previously held more than one Work and Holiday visa

have completed three months of specified subclass 462 work in northern Australia while on your first Work and Holiday visa

have not yet turned 31 years of age

If you are already in Australia and want to extend your stay, you need to apply for a second Work and Holiday visa before your current visa expires and before you have turned 31 years of age.

Health requirements

You must meet certain
health requirements. The health examinations you need will depend on your personal circumstances, including your period of stay, country of citizenship, time spent in another country during the last five years and your intended activities in Australia. The results of your health examinations are generally valid for 12 months.

Health insurance

You are responsible for all your health costs while you are in Australia. You will not be covered by Australia's national health scheme (Medicare) unless your country has a reciprocal health care agreement with Australia.

We recommend that you take out health insurance each time you travel to Australia.

Character requirements

You must meet certain
character requirements. You must be prepared to provide a police certificate from each country you have lived in for 12 months or more during the past 10 years after you turned 16 years of age. Do not arrange for police certificates until we ask you to.

Debts to the Australian Government

You must have no outstanding debts to the Australian Government or have arranged to repay any outstanding debts to the Australian Government before this visa can be granted.

Education

Depending on the passport you hold, the education requirements could be slightly different.

​Country of passport

​Education requirements

Argentina

Austria

China

Czech Republic

Hungary

Indonesia

Luxembourg

Peru

Poland

Portugal

San Marino

Singapore

Slovak Republic

Slovenia

Spain

Turkey

Uruguay

Vietnam

Hold tertiary qualifications, or have successfully completed at least 2 years of undergraduate university study.

Tertiary qualifications include a:

Doctoral degree

Masters degree

Graduate diploma

Graduate certificate

Bachelor degree

Associate degree

Advanced diploma

Diploma level qualifications.

Note: Tertiary qualifications do not include:

Certificate IV

Certificate III

Certificate II

Certificate I

Senior Secondary Certificate of Education.

Chile

Hold tertiary qualifications, or have satisfactorily completed or have been approved to undertake a third year of undergraduate university study.

Tertiary qualifications include a:

Doctoral degree

Masters degree

Graduate diploma

Graduate certificate

Bachelor degree

Associate degree

Advanced diploma

Diploma

Certificate IV

Certificate III level qualifications.

Note: Tertiary qualifications do not include:

Certificate II

Certificate I

Senior Secondary Certificate of Education.

Israel

Hold a Senior Secondary Certificate of Education or equivalent and have either completed military service or are legally exempt from military service.

Malaysia

Hold tertiary qualifications, or have successfully completed at least 2 years of undergraduate university study.

Tertiary qualifications include a:

Doctoral degree

Masters degree

Graduate diploma

Graduate certificate

Bachelor degree

Associate degree level qualifications.

Note: Tertiary qualifications do not include:

Advanced diploma

Diploma

Certificate IV

Certificate III

Certificate II

Certificate I

Senior Secondary Certificate of Education.

Thailand

Hold a Diploma or Degree

United States of America

Hold a Senior Secondary Certificate of Education or equivalent.

Note: The educational requirements only apply to first Work and Holiday visa applicants.

Functional English

If you are applying for a first Work and Holiday visa, you must provide evidence that you have at least functional English. This can be:

evidence you are a citizen of and hold a valid passport issued by the United Kingdom, the United States of America, Canada, New Zealand, or the Republic of Ireland

an International English Language Testing System (IELTS) average band score of at least 4.5 for the four test components (speaking, reading, listening and writing) completed within 12 months of visa application lodgement

the Occupational English Test (OET) completed within the 12 months prior to visa application lodgement

a Test of English as a Foreign Language internet-Based Test (TOEFL iBT) total band score of at least 32 for the four test components of speaking, reading, writing and listening completed within 12 months of visa application lodgement

a Pearson Test of English Academic (PTE Academic) overall band score of at least 30 for the four test components of speaking, reading, writing and listening completed within 12 months of visa application lodgement

a Cambridge English: Advanced (CAE) test overall band score of at least 147 for the four test components of speaking, reading, writing and listening and the test must have been taken on or after 1 January 2015 and completed within the 12 months prior to visa application lodgement

all years of primary education and at least three years of secondary school at an institution where all the instruction was in English

at least five years of secondary education (high school) at an educational institution in which all instruction was in English

a post-secondary qualification with at least two years of full-time study, in which all tuition was in English

at least one year of full-time study or equivalent towards a degree, higher degree, diploma or associate diploma at an Australian institution where all the instruction was in English

evidence of successful completion of an English Bagrut exam in the level of three study units (Israeli applicants only).

Letter of government support

If you are applying for a first Work and Holiday visa, you must include a letter of support from your home government with your application. This letter does not guarantee you a place in the Work and Holiday visa program.

Contact the relevant agency in your country to obtain a letter of support:

If you are from Argentina, Israel, the People's Republic of China, Singapore or the United States of America you do not have to provide a letter of government support.

If you are a Malaysian citizen you need to provide a Malaysian Good Conduct Certificate, which can only be applied for online by selecting the 'e-Consular' link on the Malaysian Ministry of Foreign Affairs website.

If you are from the Czech Republic, you should not supply a letter of government support. You need to obtain a letter of introduction from your educational institution, which may be downloaded from the webpage of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs link above.

Specified subclass 462 work

To apply for a second Work and Holiday visa, you must have already completed three months of specified subclass 462 work in northern Australia. This work must have been completed while on your first Work and Holiday visa and must have been undertaken after 18 November 2016 in order to be counted towards your three months' specified subclass 462 work total.

Specified subclass 462 work is work that is undertaken in a 'specified' field or industry in a designated area in northern Australia. See the section on Northern Australia below to check the postcode list of designated areas of northern Australia.

All specified subclass 462 work must be paid work in accordance with the relevant Australian legislation and awards. Voluntary work will
not be accepted for the purpose of applying for a second Work and Holiday visa. See
Evidence of payment for specified work for more information.

Approved industries for specified work include:

plant and animal cultivation

fishing and pearling

tree farming and felling

tourism and hospitality.

Specified work is any type of work described in the list below which must be the primary role, function or activity performed during your employment:

plant and animal cultivation

the harvesting and/or packing of fruit and vegetable crops

pruning and trimming vines and trees Note: This must be your primary employment task and directly associated with the cultivation and commercial sale of plant produce, such as fruit and nut crops (commercial horticultural activities). General garden maintenance is not eligible.

general maintenance crop work

cultivating or propagating plants, fungi or their products or parts

immediate processing of plant products

maintaining animals for the purpose of selling them or their bodily produce, including natural increase
Note: Maintaining animals for tourism or recreational purposes is
not eligible.

immediate processing of animal products including shearing, butchery, packing and tanning Note: Secondary processing of animal products, such as small goods processing and retail butchery is
not eligible.

manufacturing dairy produce from raw material.

fishing and pearling

conducting operations relating directly to taking or catching fish and other aquatic species

planting or tending trees in a plantation or forest that are intended to be felled

felling trees in a plantation or forest

transporting trees or parts of trees that were felled in a plantation or forest to the place where they are to be milled or processed.

tourism and hospitality

work in a range of positions where the primary purpose is to directly provide a service to tourists, including tourist guides and operators, outdoor adventure or activity instructors, tourist transport services

gallery or museum managers, curators or guides

hospitality workers, including a range of positions in hotels or other accommodation facilities, restaurants, cafes, bars and casinos

conference and event organisers.

Note: Work undertaken in the tourism and hospitality industry must appear in the list of tourism and hospitality occupations, which is based on Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations (ANZSCO) codes. See the section on
Tourism and hospitality occupations for the complete list of eligible occupations.

Examples of eligible specified subclass 462 work in agriculture:

picking fruits on an orchard

feeding and herding cattle on a farm

horse breeding and stud farming

conservation and environmental reforestation work

zoo work involving plant or animal cultivation.

Examples of ineligible specified subclass 462 work in agriculture:

working as a nanny on a farm

working at a cellar door providing wine tastings.

Examples of eligible specified subclass 462 work in tourism or hospitality

a chef in a restaurant

a dive instructor

a tour bus driver

Examples of ineligible specified subclass 462 work in tourism or hospitality

cleaning work in a restaurant

driving a school bus

working as a sales assistant in a souvenir shop

How to find specified subclass 462 work

You can find specified work vacancies in the same way you would find other job vacancies, such as through employment pages in newspapers, the internet and job placement service providers. Vacancies specifically for plant and animal cultivation can be found on the
Harvest Trail website.

Note: Not all vacancies advertised on the Harvest Trail website will qualify as specified subclass 462 work, or give you eligibility for a second Work and Holiday visa.

You should ensure that the vacancy meets the definition of specified subclass 462 work listed above and that the work will take place in an eligible postcode of northern Australia. See the section on 'Northern Australia' below to check the postcode list of designated areas.

You should not leave it until the end of your stay to arrange your three months of specified work, to allow for unforeseen circumstances which may prevent completion of the specified work, such as bad weather, illness or not finding enough work.

How to count specified subclass 462 work

Three months

'Three months' of specified work means a period equivalent to three 'calendar' months, which is taken to be a minimum period of 88 calendar days, including weekends or equivalent rest days during your period of employment.

To meet the three months specified work requirement you must actually work for the same number of days that a full-time employee would normally work in a three month (88 calendar day) period. You can do this in a variety of ways, for example:

working five days a week for a continuous period of three calendar months, including on a
piecework rate agreement; or

working less than five days a week over a period longer than three calendar months, including on a
piecework rate agreement;

working multiple short periods of work in any combination of full time, part time or
piecework rate work, which add up to the equivalent of five days a week over three calendar months.

You do not need to do your three months' specified work all in one go, or all with one employer. You are free to spread the work over the period of your stay in Australia. You can also work for longer than the required minimum of three months.

You cannot complete your specified subclass 462 work requirement in a total period less than three calendar months.

Example - Marko – full time continuous work:
Marko works full-time for a tour company as a tour guide from 1 December to 26 February, a total of 88 calendar days. Marko works five days a week (Monday to Friday) for this whole period of time and is paid the correct legal wage. Marko has met the three month specified work requirement.

Example - Tran – separate periods of full time and part time work:Job number one - Tran works 5 days a week in a fruit orchard picking and packing fruit under a signed
piecework rate agreement from 1 March to 30 April. This period counts as two calendar months (in this case 61 calendar days) towards the specified work requirement.

Job number two – Later, Tran does casual work picking vegetables at a market garden for five days a fortnight from 1 October to 30 November. During this period of two calendar months (in this case is 61 calendar days) he has worked half of the usual full time work hours for this employer. This period can therefore count as a total of one month (or 30 days) towards the specified work requirement.

Tran adds these two work periods together, counting: Two months (61 calendar days) for the period of full time work
plusOne month (30 calendar days) for the period of part time work of two months
totalsThree months (which in in this case is more than 88 calendar days) of specified work

Tran has therefore worked the
equivalent of three months of full time work and has met the three month specified work requirement.

Example – Does not meet three months of Specified work

Kim works
two days a week at a vineyard maintaining vines and picking grapes from 1 February to 30 April. The vineyard work is eligible specified work and he is paid the correct lawful wage. The work has occurred over a three month period; however, he has not worked the equivalent number of days that would be worked by a full time worker in a three month period. He will need to work a proportionately longer period of part time work to meet the specified work requirement.

Kim has not worked the equivalent of three months' full time specified work and does not meet the requirement.

Hours of work per day

You should agree with your employer the number of working hours, before you start work.

One single day of work is considered to be the normal number of hours per day (or per shift) that is considered standard practice in the industry and role in which you are employed.

Note: If you are working on a
piecework rate the number of hours can depend on the weather and ripening of crops.

Note: If you are working on an
Award you should check your conditions of employment, including rostering, overtime, and penalty rates.

You
cannot count a long day of work as more than one day of specified subclass 462 work. For example, if the industry's standard day is five hours long, working a 10 hour day does
not count as two days of specified work.

Example: Maria works on a dairy farm milking and other duties. Maria makes an agreement with her employer to work five days a week (Wednesday to Sunday) from 4am to 7am and 1pm to 4pm each working day (a total of six working hours per day) for three months. These hours are considered normal for this role and Maria is paid the correct legal wage. Maria can count every day of work towards the three month specified work requirement, which she meets.

Example: Jose works on a fruit orchard picking and packing mangoes. Jose is working on a
piecework rate and works five or six days a week for three months. Depending on the weather and ripening of crops he works between five to eight hours each working day. Jose can count all of these days of work towards the three month specified work requirement, which he meets.

Example: Sophia works on a casual basis for a café. Sophia works five or six days a week for three months. Depending on the café roster Sophia works between five to nine hours each working day (including meal breaks). These hours are considered normal in this industry and role and she has been paid the correct legal wage. Sophia has met the three month specified work requirement.

Australian public holidays and sick days

Australian public holidays and sick days (or equivalent workers compensation leave days) can be counted as a day of specified work if you are paid for that day. Public Holiday or leave days which are not paid cannot be included in your specified work total.

Note: If you are working on an
Award you should check your conditions of employment including leave and public holiday entitlements.

Severe or seasonal weather

You
cannot include any unpaid days
where you did not work due to severe or seasonal weather towards your total period of three months of specified work.

You should plan to complete your specified work early in your stay, as no exception will be made for failure to complete the three months specified work because of severe weather – or any other reason.

Example: Petra was contracted to work 5 days a week under a
piecework rate agreement on a sugar-cane farm doing harvest work from 1 June to 27 August – a period of 88 calendar days. However, she could not work for a total of 5 scheduled working days due to severe weather, and she was not paid for these 5 days. Petra later completed an additional 5 working days with another employer from 1 to 5 September, also under a piece work agreement. She has now completed the equivalent of three months (88 calendar days) of full time work and has met the three month specified work requirement.

Shift work

Variable shift work arrangements which are standard practice in the industry can be counted towards specified work. For example, if your full time paid employment contract involves two weeks rostered on for every day and then two weeks rostered off as rest days, provided this is standard practice in the industry, and you are paid for this whole period, then all four weeks (28 days) can be counted towards the three month work requirement. Be sure to keep a copy of your employment contract.

Evidence of specified work

If you apply for a second Work and Holiday visa, you will need to provide evidence that you have satisfied the specified subclass 462 work eligibility requirement, including that you have been paid in accordance with relevant Australian laws and awards. Acceptable evidence of specified subclass 462 work (completed while on your first Work and Holiday visa) includes copies of the following:

pay slip or other evidence of payment for specified work (these must be supplied for all specified subclass 462 work)

Note: Providing appropriate evidence will allow a Work and Holiday visa application to be assessed more quickly. Ensure that all information provided is correct. It is usual practice for the department to contact third parties to verify the claims of applicants for second Work and Holiday visas.

Providing a false or misleading declaration or fraudulent evidence for any visa application can result in your application being refused or any visa granted being later cancelled. If your visa is cancelled, you might be prevented from lodging further applications and be excluded from Australia for a period of three years.

Eligible specified subclass 462 work

Ineligible specified subclass 462 work

Cleaning work is not eligible specified subclass 462 work, unless it meets the definition of Commercial Housekeeping (ANZSCO code 811411) in a hotel, motel or other accommodation operation.

Retail work is not eligible specified subclass 462 work. For instance, work in a souvenir shop, gift shop or duty free shop would not be eligible.

Northern Australia

If you have worked in northern Australia in tourism and hospitality or agriculture, forestry and fishing you can apply for a second Work and Holiday visa.

Defined areas

Postcodes
inclusive

Northern Territory

Entire Territory

Queensland
(all areas north of the Tropic of Capricorn)

447244784481 to 448246804694 to 469546974699 to 4707 4709 to 4714 4717 4720 to 4728 4730 to 4733 4735 to 4746 4750 to 4751 4753 to 4754 4756 to 4757 4798 to 4800 4801 to 4812​​ 4814 to 4825 4828 to 4830 4849 to 4850 4852 4854 to 4856 4858 to 4861 4865 4868 to 4888 4890 to 4892 4895

If you are from the People's Republic of China lodge your first Work and Holiday visa application in person and by appointment at an Australian Visa Application Centre in China. Further information on appointment and application requirements is available on the
Australian Embassy Beijing website.

If you are from Austria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Israel, Luxembourg, Poland, Portugal, San Marino, Slovenia lodge your First Work and Holiday visa application at the
Australian Immigration office in Berlin, by post only.

Second Work and Holiday visa - Applicants from all countries
must apply for a second Work and Holiday
visa online.

You must provide all relevant documents and pay the visa application charge by credit card when you apply.

You should provide an email address that we can use to communicate with you about your application.

We could also ask you for more information. You will have to respond by a set date. After that date, we can make a decision about your application using the information that we have.

If you applied online, you can provide additional information, including Form 1023, using
ImmiAccount.

If another person gives us information that could result in you being refused a visa, we will usually give you the opportunity to comment on the information.

You might also be interviewed. If you are asked to attend an interview in person, bring your passport or other identification and any requested documents to the interview.

Report changes in your circumstances

You must tell us if your circumstances change. This includes a new residential address, a new passport, or a pregnancy, birth, divorce, separation, marriage, de facto relationship or death in your family.

If you applied online, you might be able to update your address and passport details using
ImmiAccount.

If you do not provide us with the details of any new passport issued to you, you could experience significant delays at the airport and might be denied permission to board your plane.

Withdrawing your application

You can withdraw the application by advising us in writing at any time before we make a decision about your application. To do this, you must send us a letter or email requesting the withdrawal, or complete
Form 1466 Withdrawal of a visa application (337KB PDF). Your request must include your full name, date of birth, date of application, and file reference number/transaction reference number (if known). The visa application charge cannot be refunded.

Visa decision

If the visa is granted, we will let you know:

when you can use the visa

the visa grant number

any conditions attached to the visa.​

If the visa is not granted, we will let you know:

why the visa was refused

your review rights (if any). Where applicable, your sponsor can apply for the decision to be reviewed

Extending your stay in Australia

The Work and Holiday visa lets you stay in Australia for 12 months. Any time spent outside Australia after the 12-month stay on your visa starts does not extend the length of the visa.

You might be able to apply for a different visa to extend your stay only if your visa is not granted with a 'no further stay' condition. You will be advised of this in your visa grant letter. Holders of visas without this condition can apply for a limited number of other visas while in Australia. You should contact your nearest
immigration office in Australia to discuss your options.

Tax Obligations

Your obligations

You must comply with all visa conditions and Australian laws. Your dependent children cannot be with you at any time during your stay.

Working in Australia

If you hold a Working Holiday (subclass 417) or Work and Holiday (subclass 462) visa, the main purpose of your visit must be for an extended holiday. You can do any kind of work over the course of your 12 month stay in Australia, however the conditions of your visa limit you to a maximum period of six months work with any one employer, unless you’ve been given permission by us to work longer.

Study

You can study in Australia for up to four months. Four months means 17 weeks of actual study.

Holidays and orientation periods do not count. However, weekends, public holidays and non-teaching periods prior to exam period are counted.

Report changes in circumstances

You must tell us if your circumstances change. This includes a new residential address, a new passport, or a pregnancy, birth, divorce, separation, marriage, de facto relationship or death in your family.

Please report changes in your circumstances via ImmiAccount. If you are not able to use ImmiAccount, you can use the following forms:

The following Visa Pricing Estimator requires you to answer the questions as accurately as possible to provide you with an estimate for lodging a visa application. The estimator might not include the second instalment of the visa application charge which is payable for some visas. Please note this is an estimate for a visa application, if you have already lodged your application and you want to change/add applicants please refer to the Visa Pricing Table. The Visa Pricing Estimator will give you an estimate of the charges you may need to pay to lodge a visa application. This is paid after you have made your application but before the visa can be granted. Read the department's full disclaimer. The Commonwealth of Australia does not guarantee the accuracy, currency or completeness of any material in the Visa Pricing Estimator.